-
04/17/2007
The planned stationing of a US radar base in the Czech Republic and the abolition of U.S. visas for Czechs will be the main topics of Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg's upcoming visit to the United States. Foreign Minster Schwarzenberg leaves for the US on Wednesday for four days of talks with US top officials. The Czech Republic recently complied with a US request to start talks on the possible stationing of a radar base on its territory. The base would be part of a US missile defense shield stationed jointly in the Czech Republic and Poland. No commitment has as yet been made and the talks are expected to last until the end of the year. The Czech political scene is divided on the issue and opinion polls suggest that the public is against it.
Critics say the US missile defense shield will not meet Europe's defense needs and Russia views the US missile base as a threat to its security. Washington has promised Moscow "detailed discussions" about the plan.
-
04/17/2007
A defense ministry official has been demoted after reporting dubious transactions at the ministry, according to the internet site Novinky. When the police raided the defense ministry several weeks ago on suspicion of extensive fraud, the head of military construction Robert Bochnicek was reportedly the only high placed ministry employee who spoke openly about dubious transactions, proffered bribes and undercover deals at the ministry. He was demoted shortly after, on the grounds of an old transgression - for using a defense ministry car for other than work purposes. Bochnicek says he paid a 17 thousand crown fine at the time and considered the matter closed. He is now considering filing a lawsuit against the ministry.
-
04/17/2007
The Czech Republic has made the most progress in reducing drink-driving deaths in Europe but the number of victims has risen in other countries, including Britain, according to a report published by the Brussels-based European Transport Safety Council. Deaths from alcohol-related accidents in the Czech Republic fell 11 percent faster than other road deaths between 1996 and 2005, followed by Germany and Poland with falls of about 6 and 5 percent, respectively, the report said. Keys to bringing down the death rate were the blood-alcohol limits for legal driving, which vary from country to country, as well as testing of drivers by police, which remains patchy in many EU countries.
Drink-driving and speeding is still the most frequent cause of road accidents in the Czech Republic but the traffic police regularly test drivers within big road safety operations. Last year the Czech Republic introduced a strict new road legislation with tough penalties for both speeding and drink-driving.
-
04/17/2007
The Czech state-controlled airline CSA carried 1.06 million passengers during the first three months of the year, 5.9 percent more than during the same period in 2006, the airline announced on Tuesday. Last year, CSA carried 5.5 million passengers, a 4.7-percent increase on 2005. The cash-strapped airline hopes to return to profit in 2008 following a major restructuring programme launched in 2006 which includes the shedding of non-core activities.
-
04/16/2007
The Czech Republic has opened an embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul. Speaking at the opening on Monday, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said it was important for the country to show support for Afghanistan. A Czech charge d'affaires is to run the embassy temporarily; a new ambassador has been selected but has not been officially presented yet. Czechoslovakia closed its embassy in the country in 1992.
While in Kabul, Mr Schwarzenberg and Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova met the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, and visited a Czech field hospital in the city.
-
04/16/2007
March was the most successful month in the history of car maker Skoda Auto. Last month the company recorded over 60,000 vehicles sold, which represented a year-on-year rise of almost 15 percent, according to figures released on Monday. Over half of Skoda Auto's sales in the first quarter of this year were in western Europe.
-
04/16/2007
However, the company is currently experiencing problems: trade unions at its plant in Mlada Boleslav are planning to go on strike on Tuesday, when work will cease for two and a half hours during three shifts. On Friday Skoda Auto management withdrew an offer of a 13-percent pay rise for employees, and returned to an earlier proposal to increase wages by 7.5 percent. Talks between the two sides are set to continue.
-
04/16/2007
The last Communist prime minister of Czechoslovakia, Ladislav Adamec, has died at the age of 80. Adamec joined the Communist Party in 1946 and stayed on the sidelines during the Prague Spring reform movement which the Soviets crushed in 1968. He became prime minister of Czechoslovakia in 1988, a position he held until end of the following year, when the Velvet Revolution had brought communism to an end in the country.
-
04/16/2007
Fourteen Romany organisations and around 100 individuals have filed a criminal complaint of defamation against Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek. Mr Cunek appeared to malign Romanies in a recent newspaper interview and came in for criticism from across the political spectrum. The Christian Democrats leader is also under investigation for alleged bribe-taking; he has repeatedly resisted calls for him to step down.
-
04/16/2007
President Vaclav Klaus now has a tolerant attitude to the office of ombudsman, Ombudsman Otakar Motejl told reporters after presenting him with an annual report on Monday. Mr Klaus was originally opposed to the creation of the institution. Mr Motejl said the president was pragmatic, and had been persuaded of the significance of the ombudsman's office. It dealt with 6,400 complaints last year, and found public offices to be at fault in 400 cases. The institution came into existence in 2001; Otakar Motejl is the only person to have occupied the post to date.
Pages
- « první
- ‹ předchozí
- …
- 5621
- 5622
- 5623
- 5624
- 5625
- 5626
- 5627
- 5628
- 5629
- …
- následující ›
- poslední »